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This book of autobiography by K.Raman Pillai is first published in May 2010. The author was born on 30th May 1936. It is a contemporary socio-politico-economic-cultural history of Kerala and is a lexicon of who is who of people who matters, in a nutshell. It is also a treasure trove of nuggets of information of Bharatiya Jansangh, Janata Party and Bharatiya Janata Party.
He is a known writer in pen names like Dasarathi, Raghuvaran, Vinayan, Krishna Ram and Sugreevan. He is the younger brother of Sadhu Sheelan Parameswaran Pillai(Swami Para Meswananda Saraswati). His early name was Dharma Rajan. The meaning of the word Pillai is a child. Among Hindus in many castes, there are Pillai’s. There are also pillais in the Christian and Muslim community.
Raman Pillai was one of the Founder leaders of Bharatiya jansangh in Kerala. He has worked in the Sangh (RSS) from 1950 to November 2006. 50 years full-time worker. in 1959 he was Palakkad district jansangh organizing secretary. it was he who introduced o.raja Gopal to Bharatiya jansangh through advocate T.R.Rajagopalan. He was two times BJP state president,5 times state general secretary,6 years a national executive member and 14 years as a national council member. He was against Bandh, Hartal And Compulsory Money Collection. Bharatiya Jansangh never supported or called for bandhs. Always opposed the same. In 1965 All Party Bharat Bandh was opposed by jansangh. In BJP he faced the same fate as Prof. Balraj Madhok in Jansangh. The dissimilarity is only in their exit; whereas Raman Pillai resigned from the party Madhok was expelled By L.K.Advani.
Raman Pillai has served the following institutions in various capacities.
– Bharatiya Vichar Parishad- 1977-1984
– Aurobindo Cultural Society -1986-2007.
– Vidyadiraja Vidya Samajam President- 2008.
– Dr.Palpu Memorial.
During the first world war, the Travancore rajas introduced public distribution system through ration shops. wheat, bajra, maize were distributed. Tapioca, Mango, Jackfruit saved people from starvation.
The books throw light on the inner-party politics of Bharatiya Jansangh, Janata Prty, Bharatiya Janta Party in General and particularly about that of Kerala. The role played by media in publishing false news, misreporting, distortion of facts etc is vividly portrayed. vernacular and English newspapers do not differ in this aspect. After causing irretrievable damage In front pages, corrections and apologies are inserted in some nook and corners of inside pages. News reporting is not based on facts but rumours. in 1960 Mathru Bhumi made a false report of T.N.Bharatan’s withdrawal of candidature from Guruvayur.
It describes toothless disciplinary committees which are eyewash. the unholy alliance of parties, vote transfer etc. Below details are given about major events and organisations
In 1958 there was no direct train service to Calicut from Trivandrum. One had to travel by bus from Trivandrum to Kottayam, from Kottayam to Ernakulam by boat and Ernakulam to Calicut by train.
Jansangh celebrated 1964 November 1 st as Malayali Dinam.
It is said about the Jansangh and Bharatiya Janata party as political untouchables but it is not the case.
In 1972-73 NDP President Kalathil Velayudhan Nair tried to form a third political group comprising NDP, PSP and Jansangh. Emergency declaration and sudden demise of Kalathil velayudhan nair ended the effort.
1957 Manathala Struggle.
In the 1970 assembly election jansangh, organization congress, socialist and KTP (Karshaka Thozhilali Party) formed an election front. 1967 December -Annual Meeting of All India Bharatiya Jansangh at Kozhikode.
Anti Malappuram district agitation in 1968 July.
Vallapuzha Murder-R.K.Ramachandran Of Pattambi ex-RSS man started Bharat Bhakta Sangam and attacked RSS leaders. it resulted in his murder.
Agitation against Kutch Agreement.
1970 . Guruvayur ekadasi temple fire
It was k.k.nair ICS District collector of Faizabad who permitted Hindus to worship Ram in Ayodhya in 1949.in 1951 march 23rd Faizabad civil court declared it as a disputed place.
In 1982 RSS supported UDF and they got the majority. BJP lost its foundation.
Those who transferred vote to UDF in 1982 started Hindu Munnani in 1984.
Akhil Bharata Arya(Hindu) Darma Seva Sangh was formed by some leaders of Arya samaj and hindu mahasabha.
Hindu maha mandala sammelan 1950 may at kollam.
The name vencharamud became popular due to the abundance of white Jamun fruit.
Sultan battery’s old name is Ganapathy vattom.
Devi Vilas palace in Palakkad built by Kollengode Madhava raja, Malabar district board president, was the centre of activities of nair service society, Chinmaya mission, Satya sai baba Seva trust etc.
It was captain t.k. Balakrishna Menon who helped N.Sreekandan Nair of Revolutionary Socialist Party to arrange to hide out for k.c.s mani a Tamil brahmin and worker of RSP who attacked Divan sir c.p.ramaswamy Iyer. RSP sprang from the Kerala socialist party in the late 40s.
1971 tellicherry riot- CPM involvement.
Declaration of emergency
Under groundwork against emergency.
Chandra Sekhar, Mohan Dharia and Ramdhan of Indira Congress protested against the emergency. It was Jagajivan Ram who introduced an emergency resolution in Lok sabha. Jagajivan Ram, Y.B.Chavan were silent spectators during the emergency. Swaran Singh was wavering about the emergency.
In Kerala K.M.Gorge, R Bala Krishna Pillai. K.Sankara Narayanan who were against emergency
Later joined the Indira Congress.
During the Formation of Janata party in Kerala. BKD was the namesake. socialists were in a communist alliance. And organization congresspeople wavering whether to join the Indira Congress. only after the intervention of George Fernandez and Madhu limaye socialist in Kerala were ready to join the Janata Party. During election time in 1977 January Kerala Congress led by r.krishna Pillai and Varky George, parivartanavadi congress led by r .sundareswaran nair. C.F.D( Breakaway Block Of Jagajivan Ram Congress) Led By Neela Lohita Dasan Nadar, V,D.Joseph, Dominic,K.T Joseph (BKD-Charan Singh Party)joined together
CPM was against giving Palakkad a seat to O.Raja Gopal. not to break the election front of the Janata party and CPM, jansangh had to lie down.
Seats. Contested won
CPM 68 17
Janata party 27. 9
Jana Sangh. 4. 0
In Uduma Marxists openly voted for jansangh candidate K.g.Marar. no lok sabha seat was won by the Janata party in Kerala. Janata party win was due to left front support.in this election minority vote entirely went for congress. catfighting for prime ministership among top leaders caused the fall of the Janata Party government.
In 1979 Janata party allied with UDF in Kerala.
Janata government gave back government jobs to those who lost them in the emergency period but they did not do anything for ordinary workers who faced police brutality and became sick and vulnerable. morarji Desai appointed only congress members to government committees, socialists and jansangh people were neglected. he even appointed Indira congressmen.
The first vote transfer in Kerala happened in the Arur Constituency Assembly Election. In 1970, Kumbalathu Sanku Pillai was the Jansangh candidate. It was followed
In 1982 and 1991.
It was P.P.Mukundan and his puppet p.krishna das who transferred votes. They were involved In Money Embezzlement. They were against k, Raman Pillai, o Rajagopal and p.s Sridharan Pillai. The disciplinary committee has recommended the expulsion of mukundan and Krishna das for six years from the primary membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Strangely no action was taken by the central committee and this resulted in more groups and with support from a section of RSS they were able to hijack the party. So Raman Pillai left the party and formed Kerala janapaksham.
Kerala BJP election defeats are not because of the weakness of organizational strength, it is because of groups, power-play And leg-pulling. From 1998 to 2004 seven years BJP was ruling the centre. Though the governing was good the affinity of the BJP AND RSS was weakened. Non-cooperation of RSS was one reason for the defeat of BJP in 2004. The Kerala unit was the weakest and the disconnection with the RSS made many people leave the party. There was also an accusation of nepotism and corruption against some leaders. Some members openly and others secretly worked to ensure the defeat of O.Rajagopal. state president p.s Sreedharan Pillai was maligned by some. K.v.s hairdas used to write in mathrubhumi against k.raman Pillai O.raja Gopal and k.g.marar. P.k.krishna das and associates disassociated from the state committee.
Mr.A.N.Radha krishnan has made a false statement to papers about Ratha yatra of 1990 in Ernakulam district.
In 1991 first April, there was an attack by ISS in six districts of Kerala.
Ekata Yatra-1991 December 11. Birthday of Guru Tej Bahadur And Great Poet Subramanya Bharati. Started from Kanya kumari and reached Sri Nagar on January 26th.
Rashtra Chetana Rally- Delhi 25th February 1993.
Rashtravartha was an evening paper from Ernakulam.
In 1957 there was a Kerala Janata paper from Trivandrum published by Pattam Thanu Pillai.
1975 Janma bhumi from Calicut as an evening paper.
1977 November 14 Janmabhumi morning paper. Started using cylinder press. There was no rotary press at that time in Kerala.
Letterpress to offset press(D.T.P.)The first DTP used paper in Kerala is Janma Bhumi in 1988.
Nair San who is famous in Japan -Ayyappan Pillai Madhavan Nair-55 years in Japan- autobiography translated by Perunna K.N.Nair.There is a Nair San Hall in Mudavan Mugal.
Kamala Surayya – body cremated in Palayam Muslim mosque in 2009. Madhavi Kutty(Kamala Das ) Has also contested elections.
Travancore Devaswam Board and cochin Devaswam board have satrams at Varanasi and Surj Kund At Gaya.
There is a caste difference at Sankara madam of Rameswaram owned by Kanchi Sankaracharya madom.
P.Krishna Pillai, The Communist Ideologue was not snake-bitten but he was poisoned to death. DIsclosure by two-time communist M.P V.P.Nair.This information was published in Chiti magazine by k.raman Pillai but was ignored by the communists. No contempt case or action was taken by the communist party on the same.
Supreme Court has fined petroleum minister Satish Sharma Rs 50 lakh fine for irregularities in petrol pump sanction.
Rationalist Kutty Krishna Marar who has criticized Sri Rama And Sri Krishna has supported Sri Satya Sai Baba Of Puttaparthy.
Rama Krishna Mission Ashrams started in Kerala by Swami Nirmalananda.
This book provides information that is unknown to the public. The subjects dealt with are vast, wide and varied and will be an asset to any book lover.
Very nice review…
Sultan battery’s old name is Ganapathy vattom.
In 2018 in may, this week I was in sultan battery and was having a doubt on how this name came…
Yday I browsed thru the photos..
God is so great that, he have answers for that question in this review…
He is listening, but I will have to ask the right questions….
Thanks for sharing.. Lucid writing.